The latest on California politics and government

March 16, 2011

Elk Grove Democrat Ami Bera is gearing up for a rematch against Republican Rep. Dan Lungren in the 3rd Congressional District, sending a fundraising pitch to could-be supporters for a 2012 bid.

"After a period of honest reflection and consultation with my family and members of the community, I have decided to run again for Congress in 2012," Bera wrote in an e-mail sent today to supporters.

"I am running because the issues we care about are no less important today than they were last November, and the dysfunction in Congress is only getting worse," he added.

Bera, who had blogged earlier about his decision to run again, demonstrated fundraising prowess and attracted national attention last year as one of the few Democratic challengers nationwide within striking distance of a Republican incumbent. He lost to Lungren by seven percentage points in November.

With more than a year until the Democratic primary, the 46-year-old physician is seeking to kick his bid into gear by replicating the early fundraising success of his first campaign. His e-mail says that he is seeking 500 individual contributors by March 31 and that he will be hosting a series of town halls in the district in the coming months. Find the e-mail after the jump.

Dear XXXX

Thank you for your support of my campaign last year. More than four months have passed since the election and I am still humbled and inspired by what we accomplished. It was truly an incredible journey.

And now, the journey continues. After a period of honest reflection and consultation with my family and members of the community, I have decided to run again for Congress in 2012. I am running because the issues we care about are no less important today than they were last November, and the dysfunction in Congress is only getting worse. I've dealt with these issues in a recent Huffington Post Op-Ed addressed to Congress.

Now that we have officially filed, I need your help to make sure we start the 2012 campaign as strong as possible. We have the opportunity to continue to build on the momentum that made our campaign one of the top races of 2010. There are two ways that you can help:

I have set an ambitious goal of having over 500 individual contributors by March 31st. A donation of any amount will help us reach this goal. To put this into perspective, Dan Lungren had less than 70 individual contributors in this same period in the last cycle. Help us meet this goal of over 500 unique contributors, and show everyone who is watching that we are in it to win it. Click here to make a donation online.

I am also kicking off our campaign by hosting a series of open houses across the district in order to hear your feedback, share what we learned in 2010, and talk about the issues that concern you most. You can help by attending or signing up to host an open house. Click here to RSVP or volunteer to host an open house.

Thank you again for all of your hard work in 2010. I look forward to working with you to build on the momentum that we started last year. Together, we will lend a voice to the hopes and aspirations of our community; together, we will fight to restore opportunity for all Americans; together, we will win in 2012.

Be well,
Dr. Ami Bera

PS: Help us reach our goal of having over 500 individual contributors by March 31. A donation of any amount will help us reach this goal.